Generator drive



E. S. MacPH ERSON GENERATOR muvn Filed Jan. 15, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Snventor Jerk WdC'W/EIZIOIZ (ItLornegs Aug. 28, 1945. 5 s. MacPHERSON GENERATOR DRIVE Filed Jan. 15, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3nventor 6 021 d: /Yavflvrvazz 8g W 9' Gttornegs Patented Aug. 28, 1945 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GENERATOR DRIVE Earle S. MacPherson, Detroit, Micln, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit Micln, a

corporation of Delaware Application January 15, 1943, Serial No. 472,500

4 Claims. (Cl. 171-231) Partially in the interest of swinging into production quickly on military equipment, th'e'current practice is to employ standard mechanical structure already available. In the case of armored cars. for example, motive power is supline 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the generator drive mechanism taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2 and Figure 4 is a detail sectional view of an overrunning clutch structure and is taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

In the drawings the armor plate rear deck I plied by dual automotive type engines coupled 5 encloses a pair of rearwardly mounted and lon itogether for driving the vehicle running gear. tudinally disposed engines 2-2 which are ar- For supplying electrical energy for the vehicle ranged side by side. These engines are of a conelectrical system and storage battery, each engine ventional type and include the usual variable has associated with it a conventional generator speed transmission assemblies having their power with the two generators connected in parallel in output shafts geared together so that both enthe same electrical system. gines can be employed to drive the running gear It is an object of the present invention to synor vehicle traction mechanism. By proper machronize the operation of the generators for curnipulation of suitable clutches either engine may rent output in balanced relation. Accordingly, be disconnected from the running gear so that the generators are geared together in given ratio the vehicle can be operated by one engine alone dependent upon their relative sizes and in the case but the particular mechanism involved forming of like generators as here involved, a convenient no part of the present invention and being well coupling is an endless belt engaging same diamknown is not illustrated in the drawings. eter pulleys on the generator armature shafts. Opposite the power output end of each engine For keeping the drive belt in proper tension the unit the engine crankshaft has keyed thereon a generator are mounted for adjustment of the multiple belt pulley 2 engaged by the belts I pulleys toward and away from one another and which run over a water pump pulley I and a fan because of their adjustable mountings and to pulley 6. The shaft of the fan pulley is mounted accommodate misalignment, each generator in a suitable bracket or standard 1 carried by the armature shaft is connected with its engine opengine and supports a fan 8 whose opera ion inerated driving shaft by universally jointed produces a draft of air through the rear deck for peller shaft sections slidably splined together. ventilating the engine compartment and insur- Each engine driven coupling for the respective ing flow of cooling air through the radiators generators also includes a one-way or overrunforming parts of the engine cooling systems. ning clutch to enable both generators-to be op- The fan shaft is connected by a universal joint erated at all times through the belt drive at 9 to a propeller shaft including a hollow tubular the same speed ratio from whichever engine section Ill and a solid shaft section II whose adoverruns the other. Except for friction slippage Joining ends are telescopically fitted and splined and minor variables in the gear train, the two together for a sliding drive th'erebetween. At its engines when coupled together for conjoint opremote end the propeller shaft section II is seeration should operate at the same speed and cured by universal joint I! to a drive housing ll. together drive both generators. However, the This housing encloses and is drive coupled to a overrunhing clutch connections insure generator projecting end of an armature shaft ll of the operation in matched relation regardless of varielectrical generator indicated generally at It. ations in relative driving speeds thereto and The drive coupling incorporates an overrunning their qualized opera i n from one engine alone, clutch, which as seen in Figure 4, includes an in the event either engine is out of operation inner race l6 eye o h' armature sh and and only one engine is supplying vehicle motive an outer race l'l keyed to the housing I! intepower. riorly thereof, together with a series of alter- For a better understanding of the invention nately arranged bearing balls I! and tiltable reference will be made to the accompanying clutch members l9 interposed between the inner drawings wherein Figure l is a longitudinal'verth and outer races. The bearing balls support the cal section through the rear deck of an armored inner and outer races relatively to one another car and showin in side elevation the engine and also serve as spacers between the clutching driven generator arrangement and may be conelements or wedges t e Who b6 8 a Well sidered as looking in the direction of the arrows known type of one way clutch. When the operon line l-l of Figure 2; Figure 2 is an end eleation of the parts is counterclockwise, as viewed Vatlon 1 8, in the direction of the arrows on 5 in Figure 4, the clutching elements is will be 0 r tilted to lock or wedge the inner and outer races shaft by the fastening nut 22.

the two generators relative to one another.

together it the speed of the rotation of the outer race is not overrun by that of the inner race. However, should the inner race overrun the outer race the clutching elements automatically uncouple the races for their free rotation.

The housing I3 is closed by a wiper seal 2| of a known type which engages the sleeve 2| mounted on the armature shaft between a shaft shoulder and the inner race of the overrunning clutch, the latter being held on .the armature Carried by the sleeve 2! is an annular peripheral flange to which is secured as by means of rivets '23 a pair of sheet metal plates 24- which are preformed to ati'ord a V-groove pulley and a projecting plate to which are welded in circumferentially spaced relation a number of fan blades 25 whose operation provides for the flow of ventilating air through the generator IS.

The construction described is employed with both engines and the fan belt pulleys afforded by the sets of plates 24- have fitted thereto a driving belt 26 which transmits the drive between the generators to maintain their operation in unison at the same speed regardless of relative speeds of the two engines. If thedrive to the overrunning clutches in the two driving connections is equal in speed of rotation then both generators are driven by both engines but otherwise both generators are driven at the same speed from the faster operating power source. Should one driving shaft overrun the other then the slower operating shaft will be uncoupled auto-' matically from the generator drive by means of its associated overrunning clutch. Thus even though one engine is out of operation both generators will be driven to supply electrical energy for whatever electrically operated apparatus is installed on the vehicle.

For enabling adjustment of belt tension the driving belt pulleys should be adjustable toward and away from one another and for this purpose each generator is pivotally suspended from the top wall of the deck I by means of pivot pins 21 joining the brackets 28 and 28 which are connected respectively to the deck i and generator l5. In addition a bracket 30 is secured on the underside of the generator I! and has a projecting ear for connection by a clamping bolt 3| with a brace arm 32 pivotally anchored at 50 33 on the side wall of the hull i. As seen in Figure 2 the end of the brace arm 32 is provided with an elongated slot in which the bolt 3| is slidable for making the necessary adjustment of Because of the necessity for belt adjustment the driving and driven shafts between the engine and generator are likely to be axially displaced but the slight misalignment is amply taken care of by reason of the universally jointed and slidably splined propeller shaft sections 10 and II.

I claim:

1. In combination, a pair of driving shafts having bearings in fixed spaced relation, a pair of driven elements arranged substantially coaxiaily of the driving shafts. a drive belt coupling said driven elements for balanced operation, means for adjusting said driven elements toward and away from one another to set belt tension, and

a pair of drive shafts connecting the coaxiaily related driving shafts and driven elements and having therein universal joints and sliding spline connections to accommodate belt adjustment positions of the driven elements.

' 2. In combination, a plurality of power delivery rotors arranged on substantially parallel transversely spaced axes. a plurality of transversely l5 spaced driven units one for each rotor in substantial axial alignment therewith to be driven thereby, a belt drive interconnecting said units for their conjoint operation at the same speed,

means adjustably mounting said units for relative transverse adjustment toward and from one another for setting belt tension, and drive transmitting means connecting the driven units to the rotors, respectively, and each including a slip joint and a universal joint to accommodate position adjustment of the units relative to each other and also including a one-way drive clutch.

3. In combination, a pair of transversely spaced generators for electrical connection in the same electrical circuit, a belt drive interconnecting the transversely spaced generators, adjustable generator mounting means for setting belt tension, separate drivers one for each generator arranged substantially coaxially therewith, a propeller shaft connecting each driver to its associated generator and including universal and slip joints to accommodate relative generator adjustment and displacement from said coaxial relation and an overrunning clutch between each generator and its driver to enable the belt drive to function 40 in synchronizing generator operation from either driver.

4. In combination, a plurality of generators for electrical connection in the same electrical system, a belt drive between said generators to synchronize their speed of operation for substantial equalization of electripal output of the several generators, means mounting said generators to enable their relative adjustment toward and away from one another for regulating drive belt tension, a plurality of separate drive sources arranged to be coupled normally for conjoint operation at the same speed, drive transmitting means between the individual drive sources and certain of the generators and each drive transmitting means including an overrunning clutch and at least one of said drive transmitting means being constructed to accommodate xial misalignment between its drive source utput shaft and the generator input shaft incident to relative belt so tensioning adjustment of the generators and for that purpose comprising a drive shaft embodying both universal and slip joints.

EARLE S. MacPHERSON. 

